


Holiday Apologies

by ScullyLovesQueequeg



Category: The X-Files
Genre: Complete, Ficlet, Gen, Post-Series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-30
Updated: 2013-11-30
Packaged: 2018-01-03 16:38:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1072754
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScullyLovesQueequeg/pseuds/ScullyLovesQueequeg
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mulder spends the holiday with Scully's family.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Holiday Apologies

**Author's Note:**

> (Takes place before I Want To Believe but after the series.)

Scully was sitting in the living room with her hands in her lap, and her face pulled into a genuine smile, but I couldn’t help feeling like even so, she was still all alone. There were quite a few people in the house, because it was a holiday, and her mother loved to invite people over, but noticeably missing was her brother Bill, because noticeably present, was me.

  


“But Ma,” I remember hearing him say in the kitchen the first time we came over (after I’d been put on trial), “He’s a fugitive. He’s all but ruined Dana’s life, and you’re allowing him to come here, like he’s family? He’s the reason why Dana hasn’t been here in years, and the reason why Missy will never be here, and you want him to come over?”

“Please don’t be so hard on him. Dana is an adult, she can do whatever she likes.”

“You think she likes not being able to come over?”

“No, that’s why she brought him this year. But if you make a big deal about it, she won’t come anymore.”

“Don’t even worry about it. If she brings him again, I won’t bring Tara over and the kids.”

“William, please don’t do this to me.” Scully’s mother pleaded with him. I remember I walked away feeling absolutely horrible, and I didn’t come back for almost a decade. Scully, being the kind soul she was, she didn’t like me staying home alone, and so for the holidays, she would spend them with me. This was the first time in years that I decided to come back, and of course, she came too.

  


Maybe he didn’t expect me to come though, because the doorbell rang, and Scully’s mother drifted past me, beaming me a bright, but tired smile that said,  _Thank you for coming_ ,  and opened the door. There was Bill, in his full Navy attire, his wife Tara, and two boys. The boys were about 12 and 8, and they came running in past Scully’s mother, and right into me. I stumbled backwards, nearly spilling my drink, but caught myself on a table. The boys looked so confused, but apologized quickly before running inside and greeting everyone.

“I’m sorry they knocked you over. They’re a little hyper. You’re Fox, aren’t you? Dana’s boyfriend, huh?” I glanced over, and Tara was there, smiling warmly. I smiled back politely, but Bill came over and cleared his throat.

“Fox.” He said, the same way my father did when he was disappointed in me.

“Bill.” I responded, shaking his hand. He wasn’t quite frowning, but he wasn’t smiling either.  It was the typical, male dominance look and I felt a little cornered.

“Bill, Dana and Charlie are in the living room already, why don’t you say hello? Tara, let me take your coat upstairs. Fox, do you want to help me?” Scully’s mother said as Tara removed her coat.

“I know things between you and my husband are a little tense, but I’m glad you came, and I’m also pleased to meet you.” Tara said, and I shook her hand. I excused myself to follow after Scully’s mother soon after however, to avoid having to start a conversation with Bill.

  
  


When I came back downstairs, Scully’s nephews were waiting, with a basketball. When they saw me, they both became very excited, and ran circles around me, dribbling the basketball.

“We heard you play basketball,” One of them said.

“Yes, play with us,” The other one pleaded.

“Play with us?” 

How could I refuse? As I gathered them up, and herded them outside, I saw Scully standing in the hall, and she had a very coy smirk on her face. It was probably her doing. I really wouldn’t have been surprised if she put them up to asking me.

When they got outside, the boys made a beeline for the old basketball hoop out front that I myself had used once or twice in years past.

“Both of us against you, okay Uncle Fox?” One of the boys—the older one, who I found out was Matthew—said to me. The younger one was called Colin, thankfully and not William because we already had too many of those.

“Oh, I’m Uncle Fox now? Don’t let your dad catch you guys calling me that.” I mused, though the thought of being an uncle was a little more than I could handle at the moment. 

  


Scully and I were the only childless couple and though it didn’t bother me as much anymore, I knew it still bothered Scully. If she could, she would have done everything traditionally, and I would be lying if I said that it’s what I wanted, too. I didn’t want to get married, and it wasn’t because I didn’t love her—God knows I did and I still do, but after being with her for so many years, whatever we had just felt right. For the longest time, we couldn’t get married and I know it disappointed her (sometimes, I felt as though she thought her whole life was a huge disappointment) and most of it was my doing. I was lucky that she decided to stay even after everything that’d happened between us.

  


In any case, I played with the kids. I let them win, and I think they enjoyed it. Halfway through our second game, Bill came outside, and the boys stopped immediately, and greeted him. He told them to go inside and wash up, and when they were gone, he approached me.

"Why don’t we take a walk to the store? My mother needs another bottle of wine."

I didn’t feel comfortable in going, but I nodded and putting my hands in my pockets, walked with Bill down the block. It was kind of cold, and since I’d left my coat inside, I only had on a pullover and a scarf. Nervously, I glanced over my shoulder again, and this time, Bill said,

"I’m not here to start anything with you. You’re like family now, and I just wanted to put the past behind us, I guess. Dana told me the reason why you two haven’t been coming around was because you and I don’t get along."

"It’s a little more involved than that," I started because it was. "but I don’t think you’d understand."

"Try me. Mr. Mulder—I mean Fox—I want my sister to be in my children’s lives. I want my whole family around for the holidays. This includes you, however I may feel about it. I didn’t really understand it then, and to be honest, I don’t think I ever will. I don’t know what goes on in your head, and to be frank, I don’t know what Dana sees in you."

"I ask myself the same thing." I muttered, and the joke caused Bill to chuckle. He put a hand on my back, and continued,

"But she loves you. I thought she felt obligated to you in the past because she worked with you, but now I realize that she loved you then too. You were there for her at times when none of us could be, and you’ve seen her at her worse and her best. I just want to hold on to what’s left of this family, and I realized now, that I couldn’t really do that if you hadn’t been there."

His words stung. That wasn’t the effect he wanted, and he could tell, presumably by the look on my face that I’d taken offense somehow.  

"Nah. I was the one who almost tore your family apart…" I started but he shook his head. 

"As much as I would love to blame Missy’s death on you, the fact of the matter is that it wasn’t yours or Dana’s fault. She was at the wrong place at the wrong time."

"But she would have never been involved if it hadn’t been for me."

"Blaming yourself isn’t going to change what happened. No one can change what happened to her, but you don’t have to keep punishing yourself for it. Mom believes in you and so does Dana. I want to believe you’re a good guy. Dana wouldn’t have brought you here if she didn’t think so."

"I guess…" I wasn’t sure what to say. I kept thinking of all the chances Scully had at a chance for a normal life, and how things continued to be ruined for her.

"Do you have family?"

"Not anymore, I guess Scully—I mean Dana—is all I have. My mother, my father and my sister are gone. I didn’t get along with my mother when she was alive. Her and my father got a divorce, and I didn’t really get along with him either." I admitted, with a shrug. "Your family seems really close. I’m glad. I’m just not really a people person."

"I’m sorry to hear that." Bill said, and we just continued walking in silence. I didn’t really think much about the dead. Not consciously. I removed my hands from my pockets to rub them together to disguise the fact that I was a little nervous, still.

"Your kids turned out pretty nice." I said, not really sure what else to say. I didn’t know much about Bill other than up until about an hour ago, he hated my guts. Now he was talking to me like I was the Prodigal son, and I wasn’t sure how to feel about him. Still, he was trying, and I knew it would mean a lot to Scully if we got along, but I couldn’t help feeling somehow he had some ulterior motive.  Guess it was  my paranoia.

"Yeah, they’re getting big. One of them wants to even be like you and Dana, and go into the FBI." That got a laugh out of me, though it was half bitter and half humorous.

"I think I’m going to talk him out of that idea." I said, putting my hands in my pockets again and shrugging off the cold. Bill laughed too, and I felt as though maybe, just maybe, the holidays would be a little more bearable, now.


End file.
